It is known by those skilled in the art that network connectivity components such as RJ45 plugs and jacks produce and cancel, respectively, a predetermined amount of crosstalk. It is equally known that in order to more effectively cancel crosstalk within an RJ45 jack, compensation circuitry must be moved as close to the plug/jack mating interface as possible.
One method of achieving this is to use a flexible printed circuit board which is connected to plug interface contacts (PICs) of the jack at a point that is relatively close to the plug jack mating interface. An example of such configuration is provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0045090 where FIGS. 15A-15G illustrate an exemplary jack which uses a flexible circuit board with crosstalk compensation circuitry thereon. While effective, this method is costly due to the high cost of flexible circuit boards.
Another method of moving crosstalk circuitry close to the plug/jack mating interface is to implement a crossover in some of the contact traces of the jack. An example of such a configuration can be seen in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0073195 where crossovers in the PICs are implemented near the mandrel of the sled. Although these crossovers allow the compensation to begin relatively soon after the plug/jack mating interface, it is difficult to obtain a sufficiently desirable amount of coupling therefrom, causing a larger portion of the compensation signal to be generated further away from the plug/jack mating interface to achieve the net compensation signal.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need for improved jack designs which provide appropriate crosstalk cancellation while remaining relatively economical to manufacture.